Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy is hospitalized at Johns Hopkins after a stroke, and his office says he is responding well

What happened

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut is in the hospital after having a stroke, his office said Sunday, according to an Associated Press report published by PBS NewsHour. His office described the 53-year-old Democrat as "awake and alert" while he receives treatment.

The stroke came in the final days before Tuesday's election, a stretch Murphy had spent traveling to support Democratic candidates. Murphy himself is not on the ballot this year, the AP reported. More national coverage is available in our Nation section.

What his office said

How the symptoms began

Allison Herwitt, Murphy's chief of staff, said in a statement that the senator "started experiencing numbness in his arm while at his son's hockey game" on Saturday. According to her statement, he was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found he had experienced a stroke.

Treatment at Johns Hopkins

Herwitt said Murphy was then moved to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring and is responding well to treatment. She said his doctors are encouraged by his progress and that his staff is optimistic he will make a full recovery.

Murphy's role in the Senate

Committee work and policy focus

Murphy won a House seat in 2006 and moved to the Senate in 2012. The AP reported that he sits on the Appropriations Committee and is a leading voice on immigration and gun policy. He is considered a contender for more senior Senate leadership roles and is among many Democrats viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates.

Campaign travel before Election Day

Murphy has been crisscrossing the country for House and Senate candidates as Democrats push for majority control, according to the AP. On Friday he posted that he had been campaigning in Connecticut for Gov. Ned Lamont, and last week he posted from Minnesota while campaigning with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic Senate nominee there.

That travel followed a trip to the Middle East at the start of October, where he met with several leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In early September, he finished his annual walk across Connecticut, covering about 70 miles over four days and talking with residents along the way.

Other senators who have had strokes

The AP noted that three other Senate Democrats have had strokes in recent years. Sens. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland both had strokes in 2022 and have since recovered.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman had a stroke while campaigning for his seat that same year. According to the AP, he now uses adaptive technology in the Senate, including live captioning on a phone or tablet that transcribes speech to help him follow conversations.

Reaction from colleagues and the president

Fetterman posted on social media Sunday that his family "is rooting for Chris and his family for a full and speedy recovery." Several Republican senators, including Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, also offered prayers, the AP reported.

Murphy's fellow Connecticut Democrat, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, said in a statement: "I know how fiercely he fights & I'm certain I'll be welcoming him back to the Senate soon." President Donald Trump said he was "really surprised" to learn of the stroke, according to the AP.

What to watch next

• Updates from Murphy's office as he remains at Johns Hopkins for further monitoring.
• Tuesday's election, in which Democrats are competing for majority control of Congress; Murphy is not on the ballot.
• Whether Murphy returns to the Senate soon, as Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he expects.